Beyond the Scene: Manhunt
by Avidal
Summary: Mrs Troi's relentless pursuit of a husband uncovers some repressed feelings between Deanna and Will. A missing scene from episode 2x19


This piece needs an introduction.  
As part of my "Beyond the Scene" collection, this piece of fanfic is a continuation of a scene in the episode Manhunt (2x19). I thought about starting it off where the original scene ended, but it didn't feel right without the original scene as a prelude. So the first part of this piece, up until the first line break, is the actual scene from the episode with the original dialogue. This first part of the story IS NOT MY CREATION. It just serves to set the scene.

This episode was written by Terry Devereaux and directed by Rob Bowman. Full credit goes to the writer, director and producers.

* * *

**Manhunt**

"Bridge, this is Doctor Pulaski, we've just completed the transfer. The Antedians are now in sickbay."

"Acknowledged, Doctor." The commander replied. The doctor's voice interrupted the quiet conversation between Riker and Troi. Not a second later, the turbolift doors opened and into the bridge walked Lwaxana Troi, followed by her faithful valet, Mr Homn.

Alarms went off inside Troi's mind. Having her mother roaming freely aboard the Enterprise seemed to always equal trouble. She jumped out of her seat and into her mother's path. "Mother, what are you doing here? You can't just stroll onto the bridge whenever you feel like it."

"I didn't just stroll on, dear, I took that turbo tube or whatever you call it." Mrs Troi spun her story with her usual attitude of casual unconcern. "The captain's not here?"

"Um, he is busy elsewhere, ma'am." Riker stepped in.

"Oh, well, I have other interests as well." Mrs Troi concealed her disappointment.

"_You're scheming something, mother. Don't try to fool me, I can tell."_

_ "You're always so melodramatic, little one. I'm not scheming, I'm deciding." _Amid their telepathic exchange, Lwaxana set her sights on Riker.

_ "Mother, not him."_ A spark of panic constricted Troi's throat.

_ "And why not him? He's adorable!"_

The counselor was silent. She was infuriated by her mother's nonchalant demeanor. What could she say? 'He's mine'? Did Lwaxana know that her daughter still wanted him? Did Will know that she still wanted him, that she hadn't given up yet? Deanna was furious at her mother.

Lwaxana unabashedly ogled the commander, none the less. In Troi's opinion, her mother was out of control. Without taking her eyes off of the commander, Mrs. Troi strutted to the seat to his right and sat down with the utmost grace and dignity, making herself right at home.

The commander stiffened a bit in the captain's chair, but managed to maintain a posture of relaxed attention. Flanked by two feuding Troi women. This was going to be either very interesting, or disastrous. He'd have to wait and see.

Troi took her regular seat to the left of the captain's chair, but did not give up her tense supervision of her mother. Lwaxana's presence, and her suggestive thoughts, made the counselor feel as if her mother was about to pounce on Will at any moment. Conversation was absent, tension was high.

For all Riker knew, Troi and her mother could have been having an entire argument between them, without anyone on the bridge being any the wiser.

"Pulaski to bridge."

The commander was glad that the tense silence had been broken. "Riker here."

"The Antedians are coming around. They are currently in the early stages of post-hibernation."

"How long until they're fully conscious?"

"I guess it to be a matter of hours now."

"Very well, I'll inform the captain." Riker turned towards Mrs Troi, "If you'll excuse me, ma'am."

Lwaxana followed the commander towards the turbo lift. "You're going to see the captain? But I thought he was tied up on ship's business."

"In a manner of speaking, he is. I'm not going to be disturbing him. I'll just give him the message." Riker wasn't convinced that Mrs Troi would accept his explanation so easily.

"Oh, excellent timing. Then you may also inform him about us." Lwaxana wrapped her hand around Will's arm.

"Us?" Riker wasn't so sure he wanted to know where this was headed.

"You don't mind if I let our ship's crew know first, do you, William?" Turning to address the bridge crew, Mrs Troi declared, "Friends, dear friends, you are all invited to a prestigious occasion on the planet Pacifica."

Troi's blood began to boil. "No." she whispered.

"There, on the shores of the western sea, in a traditional betazoid ceremony, your Commander Riker and I will be joined in the union of matrimony." Lwaxana announced, holding on to the commander's arm.

"Married?" Wesley, at the helm, seemed shocked.

"Until death us do part."

Will looked around at all the faces, searching for a clue about how to react. Interesting or disastrous, he had thought, yet this was more than he had bargained for. But there was no way he could take this seriously. He turned to Troi for help with making some sense of this, but her expression only told him that she was more shocked than he was. He decided to take matters into his own hands. "Mrs Troi, I don't know how to tell you this-"

"Oh, I know how you feel, dear. You're overwhelmed with excitement! Oh, believe me, I understand." Lwaxana clung to the commander's arm, "We'll talk about the details later, right now there are preparations to be made!" Mrs Troi entered the turbo lift with Mr Homn in tow.

The counselor bolted out of her chair and followed them, determined to shake some sense into her mother before she disturbed the captain. But she never made it. Will grabbed her wrist as she passed by his side, and kept a firm hold, stopping her in her tracks. "Why did you stop me? Somebody needs to set her straight." the counselor demanded.

"I think I'll leave that to the captain."

"Coward."

Will's eyebrows shot up. He couldn't remember when he had seen Deanna this angry.

"Commander," Data called, getting up from his post, "are you planning on going into the holodeck?"

"I thought I might. Would you like to join me?"

"Could you postpone our departure for just five minutes, Sir?"

Data's request was a little odd, but it would give Riker a few minutes to find out what was going on with Troi. "No problem."

Data left, leaving Commander and Counselor standing there facing each other, the counselor visibly exasperated.

* * *

"Deanna," the commander motioned toward the doors behind the counselor, "ready room." The doors to the captain's ready room opened to let him in, but before stepping inside he turned around and saw Troi standing right where he left her, with her arms crossed and with a pout that made it even more difficult for the commander to keep from grinning at the hilarious absurdity of the whole thing. If the ship's counselor was going to act like a child, then he would treat her like a misbehaving one. "Counselor!" Riker raised his voice a couple of notches, startling her and some of bridge crew. "Ready room, now." He hoped that her need to save face would override her stubbornness.

Troi glared at him. What was it with the display of authority all of a sudden? He wanted to talk, fine. She wasn't about to let him embarrass her too. The doors slid closed behind them.

The commander sat against the edge of the captain's desk, and the counselor stood a few paces in, arms still crossed, a frown still drawn across her eyebrows.

"Deanna, I can see smoke coming out of your ears. You have to calm down." His tone was gentle, but serious.

"I am calm." the counselor responded, her jaw clenching.

Will didn't bother stifling a chuckle.

"What's so funny, Will? My mother is out of control! Why won't you let me go deal with her?" Troi demanded.

"I said, the captain will deal with your mother. Right now,_ I_ am dealing with _you_." The righteous counselor needed to be brought down a peg.

Troi's jaw dropped and her eyebrows shot up, utterly offended by the suggestion of having to be dealt with.

"And you might want to tone it down a bit, unless you want the whole bridge crew to be able to write a detailed report about what's going on in here." the commander added.

"Dealing with _me_?" the counselor didn't bother toning it down, "I wasn't the one announcing a shotgun wedding! 'Until death us do part'," she mocked her mother. "She's embarrassing you in front of everyone!"

"You mean, she's embarrassing you," the commander corrected her.

"Fine, she's embarrassing both of us," Troi admitted.

"No, she's embarrassing _you,_" RIker corrected again, slowing down his words and pointing at her.

Troi aimed a murderous glare at the commander. Unfortunately for her, he was not at all intimidated by it. She took a couple of steps forward. "I get the impression that you're amused by all this," she accused.

Riker smiled. "I seem to be able to find the humor in absurdity."

This appeared to infuriate the counselor even more. "Will, this isn't a joke!"

Riker slowly shook his head, unable to understand her attitude. He couldn't seem to formulate a rational way out of this. "I just can't take this seriously, Deanna."

She shot him a wide-eyed glare, unable to believe how he could be so blind. "My mother is honing in on you, Will. She feels the captain slipping away, so now she's on to the next best thing," Troi explained, her words infused with indignation. "That doesn't bother you?"

Riker's brow furrowed in thought, and his fingers stroked his beard. "I supposed it does bother me a little, being considered the next best thing." It took a lot of effort to say that with a straight face.

"Will, come on!" Troi rolled her eyes in exasperation.

"Deanna, why are you so upset?" He couldn't hide the laughter in his voice.

"She's predatory, Will! Declaring wedding plans is just the beginning."

He sighed. His attempts to help Troi calm down and take it rationally were clearly not working. He extended an open hand towards the counselor, inviting her to approach him. The counselor looked at his invitation to come closer, but she hesitated. After a moment, the commander dropped his hand. Apparently, this was going to require more effort. "You don't have to worry about me, Deanna. I can handle Lwaxana." He reassured her with confidence.

"Oh, you've never been in the sights of a betazoid woman in the phase. Don't be so sure of yourself," Troi warned.

"Imzadi, don't worry! I'm not going to marry your mother, that's insane!"

"That's not the point!"

Riker was confused now. Then what was it they were arguing about? "I don't understand, what-"

"You're off limits!" Troi exclaimed, realizing as she said it, that she had admitted more than she had intended.

There was silence between them. Riker stared at Troi, mouth slightly open since the moment she had interrupted him with that surprising revelation. She looked away.

"I'm off limits." He echoed. Riker intended to get to the real reason for the counselor's overreaction to her mother's eccentricities. "Am I off limits to just your mother, or..?" his eyes squinted, brow furrowed. He didn't really expect an answer.

Troi didn't know what to do with herself. She couldn't bring herself to look him in the eye. She shifted, restless, feeling a strong need to walk out of there.

"Actually," the commander began, with a sudden calmness about him, "to be honest, there is a kind of thrill to being pursued by a Troi."

The counselor gave him a sideways glance. The conversation had taken a turn. She could feel it.

He extended a hand towards her again, and she couldn't reject him a second time. She didn't have the heart. Just seeing him there, trying his best to mend the situation... So they were at that bridge now. Still too unsteady to cross, but they were there, so what would they do about it? The counselor approached him tentatively, and placed her hand in his.

The commander gently pulled her closer to him. "So, which Troi should I really be worried about?" There was a hint of playfulness in his sincerity.

With Riker sitting on the edge of the desk and Troi standing right in front of him, they were almost perfectly aligned. Troi realized that she could just lean closer, wrap herself around him, and kiss him, like she'd been wanting to for too long. So, why not? Her heart started to beat a little faster. It was her chance to lay claim to him. Her imzadi. He was already hers, and she was already his, but somewhere along the way they had lost each other. Now, fate had brought them together again. If that wasn't the mother of all signs, she didn't know what else could be. She braced herself for the kiss that would bridge the space between them.

"Data to Commander Riker," the android's voice through the comm startled them both, "I am on my way to the holodeck."

The commander tapped his badge. "I'll meet you there, Data, Riker out." He sighed, "Well, I better get going before your mo-" He couldn't finish his sentence because a pair of soft lips had firmly planted themselves on his.

Deanna's lips were warm and delicate, just as he remembered, but the boldness in her kiss was new. Her assertiveness was contagious and encouraging, and Will returned the kiss with enthusiasm. He had wanted to do this for too long. Having her near him again, and not being able to touch her, kiss her, be with her like they had been before, was killing him. But he hadn't been able to bring himself to cross that line with her. He hadn't known if she still wanted him in that way, after the way things had ended between them. He hadn't wanted to risk pushing her away even more if he made a wrong move. But now Deanna had crossed it, and she had done so with a confidence that had left him without any doubts. The line had been erased, the bridge crossed.

Their kiss turned more demanding, daring, even. Making out in the captain's ready room, no doubt adding to the excitement. Will grabbed Troi by the waist and pressed her against him. She draped one arm around and between his broad shoulders, and her other hand wrapped around the back of his neck, holding him in place while she deepened her kiss. Will ran his tongue tentatively across her lips, and he was immediately matched by the counselor stepping up to meet his kiss at its new level. It was getting more intense by the second. Where was this going? Neither of them really knew, until Deanna broke away.

They remained face to face, holding each other loosely. Their eyes locked with each other's, their breathing slightly labored.

"I think Data's waiting for you." The counselor reminded him after she regained some of her composure.

"Yeah, I should go." The commander acknowledged, but didn't budge.

"You should."

Will lifted one hand off of her hip, and brought it up to cup Troi's face and caress her cheek. "I've missed you, Deanna."

"I've missed you too." She felt him pull her closer to him again. The temptation to melt back into him was strong, but she resisted by pushing back against his chest. "No, you have to go." She said through a half-grin.

Riker responded with a mischievous grin of his own. "Can we continue this conversation tonight?" His focus shifted from Deanna's eyes, to her mouth, and back to her eyes. His desire for her right there in the open for her to perceive.

She found an interesting little fiber on Will's shoulder to focus on, while she thought about it. "Yes," was Troi's gentle confirmation. "I think we can...conclude this conversation in my quarters. 21 hundred hours."

Riker granted her a smile from ear to ear. "I'll be there."

Troi took a step back, and Riker stood. He took her hands in his, and lifted one up for a kiss. He looked into her deep black eyes one last time before turning to leave.

"Will"

He heard her call his name and felt her hand around his forearm. When he turned back around, Deanna took his face in her hands, stood on her toes, and placed one quick, reaffirming kiss on his lips. She stepped back and they smiled at each other, like when they had fallen in love for the first time on Betazed.

"I'll see you later, Miss Troi." Will teased, and the doors slid closed between them.

All Troi could hear was her heartbeat filling the silence of the captain's ready room. She took a deep breath and walked back out to take her place on the bridge, hoping that the blush on her cheeks wasn't too obvious.

* * *

"Computer," Lwaxana knocked on the computer panel in the corridor, "take me to Commander Riker's quarters."

"Follow the light trail to Commander Riker's quarters." the computer responded.

Lwaxana Troi followed the trail along the relatively short distance from her diplomatic quarters to deck nine, humming to herself. As she walked down the corridor, she noticed the door to her daughter's quarters. She opened her senses to find out if Deanna was there, but as soon as she did, she was hit with a hurricane wind of intense, erotic emotion. "Oh, my!" she exclaimed in the empty corridor.

After the momentary shock, she extended her senses a little more, her curiosity getting the better of her. Her hand covered her heart, and a wistful smile painted her face as she recognized Deanna and Will, their minds woven together in a passionate spiral of pleasure and love for each other. "Oh, little one," Lwaxana whispered into a contented sigh, "he _is_ yours after all. Good for you, darling, good for you."

Mrs Troi lingered for a moment before feeling like she was intruding. She blinked out of her contemplative eavesdropping and knocked on the closest computer panel. "Computer, where can a woman go for a good, strong _cock_tail around here?" She asked, feeling the return of her annoyance at not being able to find a decent companion in a ship full of young, fit, and most important of all, available men.

"Ten Forward lounge." was the computer's immediate response.

"Of course! Ten Forward. Show me the way." Lwaxana aimed one last, wistful glance at the doors to her daughter's quarters before heading towards the strongest drink on the menu.


End file.
